It didn’t take too long to get to the bus station from Jihyun’s place. I should’ve washed my face before leaving, though. My watch is dead, and I have no way of knowing when the first bus of the day will arrive. My father is probably pacing back and forth or sitting with the newspaper open in front of him. He first started to get up early and pace around in the house a few years ago. The last thing he said to me was, “Watch out for cars.” I think he was thinking of Hyunwoo, how we lost him. Does he even worry about me? What will my stepmom say when she sees me? I severed contact for five months after I left, and here I am, limping back. I bet she’d be pretty annoyed by that. She might hit me again. Or kick me out. If I were her, I’d kick me out. I used to feel so much resentment and hatred when I thought of her, but today, I feel sympathy toward her as another woman with her struggles.

I decide to walk home and start to cross the multi-laned road. I pass the yellow divider line. There aren’t many cars on the road this early but some cars rush through at crazy speeds. Like I’m in a scene in a movie, I close my eyes and limp across the road. After a few steps, I hear loud honking. A taxi driver lowers the window and screams at me. “You crazy bitch! Are you blind? Go crazy all you want, but don’t be a nuisance to others!”